Web Design Online News Articles Information

Creating Joomla Templates

2009-07-11T07:58:00.004-07:00

Sometimes you may want to create your own Joomla template. It may be that you can't find that special layout that reflects your company's image in the manner that you would like. By being able to create your own design, you open up a whole new range of options.

Before you start creating your Joomla template, you will want to have some idea of what you want. Don't go into it blind. You can use a variety of programs that will let you sketch out your ideas, similar to Photoshop, or you can even just sketch it with a pen and paper. It really doesn't matter what you use, just get your idea layout down so that you can refer to it when needed. This way you won't leave out any aspects that you really want to include. You will make sure that all of the look and features and elements are there.

Next, you will want to decide what type of look that you want. There are actually two types. The first type allows your template to fit the browser. It will adjust its size to fit appropriately. The second type is a fixed sized template. There is no adjusting; it will always be the same size no matter what. With the fixed sized design, you will want to decide what the dimensions you will want it to be and where you want to place the different aspects. Just remember, with an adjustable design size, when someone maximizes the screen it could cause distortion in certain elements. So if you choose this type, make sure the other elements that you will be using will adjust accordingly.

Now, you will need to determine the layout that you want. Decide what will go where and the like. Once you have decided this, next you will want to convert your vision into HTML code. This is where designing and making your own template can become a headache. You will also probably need to write a correlating CSS code to go along with it. At this point, if you need help, there are a variety of websites that can teach you how to write either code. The websites require interaction on your part to make sure that you are doing it right. You can also find websites that can teach you step-by-step how to work and write your own Joomla design. It teaches you what goes in which directory and the like. Remember, all aspects of the coding and the directories, as well as files, need to work together and if you leave an important part out, more than likely, it either won't work right or won't look right.

After you have incorporated all the basics into your design, do a trial run to make sure that everything is working together and done the way that you want. If it is, you will be able to continue with adding modules and the like. If it's not, this is the perfect time to go back and fix it before all the access codes of modules and plugins interfere with the normal codes.

Go to Joomla Template Zone to get your free ebook about Joomla Templates at Joomla Template. This website also has information on Create Joomla Template and everything that can assist you with building a website with this software. Come by today to get free ebooks and information to assist you today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_Runcorn

Learn About Commercial Joomla Templates

2009-07-11T07:58:00.003-07:00

Joomla templates let you define the style and layout of your website on both the back end and the front end. There are two different formats for Joomla templates: back end templates and front end templates. The front end templates let you decide the layout and style of the actual website that is visible to your viewers. The back end templates define the layout and style that the administrator, editor and super administrator will see when they log in to make changes to the website or just to check the information.

Commercial templates are available all over the internet. All you have to do is search for them. Some websites require that you become a member and join the "club" to have access to the templates or you can just simply purchase them off of other websites.

Joomlajunkie.com is an example of a "club" website where you can become a member of joomlajunkie and then you will have access to several different templates with unique and stylish features and layouts. The hits per layout are absolutely amazing, so you know that that same layout and style is definitely being used across the internet.

Themejoomla.com offers commercial templates as well. For a single download, most templates cost $25. This is actually a fairly cheap and reasonable price for the template when you consider the amount of time and effort that it takes to create such a network of files and extensions that interact with each other to ensure that all aspects of the website work together and is designed the exact way that you want. Also, getting the website to work the way that you want is also difficult. $25 is a good price for a template. There is no limit to how long you can use a template. You can use the same template for years to come, so a $25 dollar investment for long term, unlimited use, is cheap.

If you continue to search, you will find many more design template sites out there. Because this is an open source software, anyone can write modules, components, plugins, and templates that will work with the software. The initial download of the core software will give you the core components and necessary items to get you started. You can then build functionality with different extensions, such as templates, plugins and the alike. This is exactly why the available options for the Joomla software is widely available.

The perfect template for your website is out there somewhere; however, if it is already available, 9 chances out of 10 there is another website that uses the same template as you have chosen. If you truly want a unique template that is a reflection of you or your company, you might want to consider hiring a designer who can write an original template for you website. This will guarantee that your website will be the only site that is using this design. Of course, you will have to pay the designer, but they will not be able to sell the design unless you confirm.

Go to Joomla Template Zone to get your free ebook about Joomla Templates at Joomla Template. This website also has information on Commercial Joomla Templates and everything that can assist you with building a website with this software. Come by today to get free ebooks and information to assist you today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_Runcorn

Why Your Business Needs a Website

2009-07-11T07:58:00.001-07:00

Having a website nowadays is no longer viewed as a luxury; in fact it is now considered to be a necessity for many businesses. Whether you are operating your business mainly from the web or managing a predominantly land-based business, achieving internet presence is highly important. The growing number of web users year after year is another proof that the Internet is one excellent marketing tool and venue for any business.

Nonetheless, getting a website is merely a single step of the entire process. Without a significant online presence, your site won't be able to attract enough traffic. Website design and the right online marketing tactics should go hand in hand, in order to generate quality and targeted traffic. Although website content is highly important, the design of your site is what compels a first-time visitor to stay attuned to your site and not to click somewhere else.

Since your website needs to be optimized for the search engines, people will find it easier to look for your product and service offerings. Internet users prefer using search engines when using the services of the web. If your business site is easily found on the listings of major search engines, it will be easier for your target audience to stumble upon your goods and services as well. This helps build an Internet presence and generates brand awareness too.

Search engine optimization can be done through various ways; however one of the most successful organic SEO tactics is keyword search and optimization. By analyzing and using the keywords used by your target market when searching for goods and services similar to yours, you are essentially helping your customers find your site. Other search engine optimization techniques include link list building, online advertising such as AdWords, and article submissions.

Having a website is also an effective way to generate the benefits of Internet marketing. Your website will serve as your online store, where you can discuss about the merits of your business or the benefits offered by your products or services. Since the Internet is widely available in almost all countries all over the globe, this helps you expand your market share, even within a limited period of time. By getting a website for your business, you no longer need to worry about global boundaries and geographical limitations.

If you want your business to attain growth and profitability without high expense, it's now time you consider getting a highly optimized website.

You can check further information of my Web Design service at my Web Design in Toronto page.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hassan_J_Sheikh

Lucrative Web Design Business – How to Create a Strong Web Design Business

2008-09-25T00:23:00.001-07:00

Lucrative Web Design Business – How to Create a Strong Web Design Business

How to get good at a lucrative web design business – it will require some hard work and testing, but it can certainly be done, even if you are just starting out. A lucrative web design business is one great way to explode your internet business. Also, a lucrative web design business is a great way to maximize your online business revenues.

So how do you use a lucrative web design business to explode your internet business and to maximize your online business revenues?

I have developed some incredible new innovations to help you to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business.

Try these powerful new ways to help you to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business:

- to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, first begin by building a list to which you can mail regularly. One of the most important things about growing any business online, especially a web design business, is creating a list of subscribers to whom you can promote your business regularly.

- to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, send quality traffic to your web design business by writing and submitting articles to the major article directories online. They will promote your articles for you, and you can simply write and watch the quality traffic come in.

- to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, use the web design business as an entry point for people into your business. Be willing to expand past just web design, and meet other needs of your customers.

- to explode your internet business with a lucrative web design business, look for additional revenue opportunities and convert one time web design customers into long term customers by offering backend, related products.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, 'Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide'

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a big online subscriber list fast? Click here: Secrets of List Building

Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 9034 articles in print and 14 published ebooks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Mize

Web Designing - Make Your Online Presence Count

2008-08-20T23:18:00.002-07:00

Web designing is not a simple HTML (Hypertext Markup language) or CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), it is much more than it. Basically it is a conceptual process in which research, discussion, planning, implementation, and finally, evaluation of electronic media is done via various technologies such as markup languages like HTML which are interpreted and displayed by a web-based graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or any other web browser.

The main purpose of web design is to create a website having interactive features and interfaces known as content that is presented to the end user as web pages when requested. Elements such as images (GIFs, JPEGs, PNGs), text, colors, tables and forms can be placed on the page using HTML, XHTML, or XML tags. Displaying more complex media (vector graphics, animations, videos, sounds) usually requires plug-ins such as Flash, QuickTime, Java run-time environment, etc.

Typically web pages are classified as static or dynamic.

• Static pages are those which do not change structure, content and layout with every request unless a web master or a programmer manually updates the page.

• Dynamic pages are those which change their content and appearance depending on the end-user's input or interaction or changes in the computing environment (user, time, database modifications, etc.) We can even change contents on the client side or on end-user's computer by using client-side scripting languages like JavaScript, and JScript, etc. Dynamic content is often compiled and executed on the server through server-side scripting languages like ASP, PHP, Perl, JSP, Python, etc.

Basic Aspects of Design

Depending on the goals of the website and the audience, the website's requirements and aspects of design changes. For typical commercial websites, the four main basic aspects of design are:

-What kind of content will be required to meet our goals?
The content: The substance and information on the website should be relevant to the website and should target the section of the public that the website is concerned with.

-What kind of look should the website have?
The appearance: the graphics and text should include a single style that flows throughout, to show consistency. The style should be professional, appealing and relevant.

-What kind of visibility should the website have?
The visibility: the website must be easy to find via most of the major search engines and advertisement media.

What kind of usability should the website have?
-The usability: the website should be user-friendly, with the interface and navigation simple and reliable.

Accessible Web design

For accessible web design, web pages and websites must follow certain accessibility principles like:

• Use sitemaps for proper navigation through the website.

• Use semantic markup that provides a significant structure to the web page.

• Provide suitable hierarchy among different web pages.

• Use a valid markup language like HTML that is supported by all the browsers.

• Provide text alternates for any non-text components like images, multimedia etc.

• Use hyperlinks that make sense when read out of context.

• Use CSS file rather than HTML tags for design and layout.

The website is an information system whose components are sometimes classified as front-end and back-end. Front-end is the observable content e.g., page layout, user interface, graphics, text, audio while the back-end comprises the organization and efficiency of the source code, invisible scripted functions, and the server-side components process output from the front-end.

Greymindz is a leader in Search Engine Optimization and Web Designing and Development providing innovative and effective solutions to synergize your business strengths by enhancing your reach to a targeted global audience.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amaan_Goyal

How to Choose a Web Design Company - Ask Good Questions!

2008-08-20T23:18:00.001-07:00

You know you need a new website, but where do you begin? Do you know what you want? More importantly, do you know what you need?

Most businesses really have no idea what they need when it comes to their website. They are too busy running their businesses. They may think they know what they like, but that may not be what they need and what ultimately makes their website a success. Both you and your web design company need to ask good questions.

You should be able to determine who can help you based on some basic information that your prospective web design company provides. If you choose selectively, you will find a web design company that is able to guide you through the development of your website by asking you the right questions that help you to determine what you need, and what will best serve your business, based on your company goals.

You'll need to know several things about the web design company before you choose. Ask for portfolio examples. Be sure you like their work. Ask for client references. Call them. Ask about the process. One of the biggest stumbling blocks between a web design company and a client is agreeing on the design. What if you don't like the way it looks? What is the limit on revisions and how does this affect the cost of the website? How will you make updates to the site? Is there a content management system? Many clients find themselves stuck with a company who doesn't have time for them once their site is launched and paid for. This can lead to your site becoming stale and outdated quickly. (Check Those References!)

One of the biggest concerns you should have is how the website will be marketed once its finished. If you choose a web Design Company with no internet marketing personnel, your site could be lost in cyberspace. These are all important questions you need to ask a prospective web design company.

Not only will YOU need to ask the right question, but your web design company should be asking good questions too, in order to develop a proposal for a new website that meets your business objectives. They should be asking about your business, your products and services, your current marketing, and about your company goals.

The most important thing a good web design company needs to ask is about your customers and specifically about your target market. Who are your customers (you will need to group them)? What do they need? How do they search? Are they technical or emotional? What kind of information do they need and want in order to make a decision to do business with you? What will appeal to them? All of these answers will determine the design, function and marketing of your site and thus your "needs" for a new website.

When you choose a web design company to develop a new website for your business, you are taking on a business partner. You should both determine if it's a good fit by asking the questions that will give you the answers you need to be mutually successful in your endeavor.

Written By: Randi Brawley, SYNERGe-marketing, LLC

Randi Brawley is a partner at SYNERGe-marketing, a full service website design, development and internet marketing company in Fairfield, CT. She specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses develop website and internet marketing solutions that are compelling and effective and that drive financial results. http://www.synergemarketing.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randi_K._Brawley

Online Business and Web Design - Planning Goals and Online Features

2008-08-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

You know you want an online business, but do you know how to plan to build it? A good web design company will ease the website planning for you, and explain in understandable terms how to start. You need to be sure your webpage content and designs fully support your business goals. As first steps in building your business, plan on asking a good web designer to help define your online business goals, to identify essential web design features, and to suggest example page layouts that can attract attention to your business.

Determine Your Online Business Goals

A first step to plan your online business is defining your business goals. Do you want to conduct business only online, or do you want an online presence to supplement store or catalog business? Do you want a website for promotional marketing, or one permitting online shopping, or both? Also, what level of effort do you want to or can you make to promote and grow your online business? Many website owners have realized this: a good web design company can enable your site to automatically gather contact and needs information from potential customers. They also can save you time by helping to automate your advertising.

Ask What are Essential Web Design Features to Launch Your Business

Ask a good web designer about these four and other essential website features to launch your business:

1. A Compelling Presentation of Your Business Message: Since customers today are short on time and patience, and tend to be compulsive, your website homepage gets one brief chance to catch their attention. For example, a home décor store needs to present their unique, tasteful, and affordable merchandise with readable, compelling text in an attractive page layout. Include an appealing message about your business.

2. Attractive Web Graphics: As part of attractive page layouts, you need to artistically incorporate eye-catching web graphics (like attractive images and/or photos). This interests new website visitors in seconds.

3. A Compelling Merchandising Vehicle: You need an online vehicle that can move visitors to request your product or service, or to buy directly from you online. The vehicle can be well-designed page layouts for displaying your products and services, or an online catalog, or shopping cart pages.

4. Updateable Areas for Fresh Content: Once your homepage and merchandise have caught visitor interest, wouldn't you like them to return for more? Have updateable page areas for valuable, new offers.

Request Example Page Layouts for Your Business

After discussing good web design features with a web designer, ask for visually appealing, example page layouts that can attract attention and increase your potential to meet your business goals. You want layouts that combine clear organization, quality web graphics, user-friendly navigation, and well-written text.

Each of the above planning steps will help determine whether your online business starts with a good web design, and in a good position to attract the attention of your target markets.

© Copyright 2008. Afford Ecommerce. All Rights Reserved Worldwide in all Media. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article in an ezine, website, magazine, newspaper, or other media provided you also include the author name, company name, and copyright, include all of the links in my article and keep all links active, and do not add any text to or edit the article in any way. You also must follow EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.

Thank you for reading these suggestions for planning your online business. It's rewarding when a little planning results in greater potential for your business. Please visit us at http://afford-ecommerce.com/ to learn about our many affordable, high-functioning, website packages (such as our Starter, Web Presence, Value-Added, and Ecommerce Website Packages). You are invited to contact Afford Ecommerce at http://afford-ecommerce.com/ae_contactus.php for a Free Website Consultation, or for answers to any questions you have about Afford Ecommerce web design services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marilyn_Kunze

Are You Looking For the Perfect Web Design?

2008-08-13T22:35:00.004-07:00

Every day worldwide millions of people log onto the Internet for business, entertainment and information. Anyone who has a website will cover one of these three aspects, which brings me to the point of web design. If you want your website to be found and used by the general public then you will have to have a site that is designed to appeal to your users.

There are many ways that you can entice someone to do business with you such as offering them a cheaper service than your competitors but on the Internet if you want someone to do business with you then your website needs to be user friendly and designed in a way that will make people stay on your site long enough to buy the products or services that are on offer to them.

The design of your website is more important than many people realise and often people design their sites with the wrong people in mind. A lot of people when they are first setting up their website will design their site in a way that appeals to them and in a way that they feel best reflects the business; this is the first mistake to make. When you are designing your website you need to do so with your target market in mind. You need to identify who you are aiming your website at, for example if you are aiming your site at a younger audience then your website should be quite funky and can include more flash as this will draw your audience in. If however the products or services that your business offers can apply to anyone of any age, such as mobile phones, you have to be careful when it comes to the design of your site as you need to design it in a way that will apply to all members of the public. The best way to go about doing this is by keeping your site simple and using neutral colours.

Your website needs to promote your business, you need to make people get involved in your business merely by the design that you have used. This may sound like a difficult thing to do but when you know how you can go about this with no problem at all.

When you are designing your website you should use limited colour and coordinate your website. As well as this you also need to remember that you need good unique content that is original. Your web content is the backbone of your website and it should be search engine friendly. You need to make sure that your site is easily readable and easily accessible for your visitors.

The design of your website can be the difference between your business being a success online and your business being a failure. You need to make sure that any phone numbers are placed in the top right hand corner under the sites logo and that your contact page should be clearly labelled. All of your pages should navigate to each other and the back to the main home page.

If you are struggling to get your site designed then you should enlist the help of a professional web design company to get the design done for you.

Helen is the web master of Discount Domains, who offer professional Web Design and Web Hosting services as well as all of your Search Engine Optimisation needs.

Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Cox

How to Approach Web Design

2008-08-13T22:35:00.003-07:00

A Web site is a collection of information about a particular topic or subject. Designing a web site is defined as the arrangement and creation of web pages that in turn make up a web site. A web page consists of information for which the web site is developed. A web site might be compared to a book, where each page of the book is a web page. In typical examples of web pages they are either classified as static or dynamic.

With static web pages it generally means that these web pages don't change their content or layout with every request. If these web pages need changing or up-dates need to be made to them they have to be done manually by a web professional or programmer who will go into the site and update whatever pages need to be done. This can become a challenge if you are busy running other aspects of your business, which is why if you want you website to be made up of static web pages you should enlist the help of a web designer who will have the time and knowledge to be able to perform manual updates frequently on your website.

Dynamic pages on the other hand adapt their content and appearance depending on the end users input or interaction. With dynamic pages content can be changed on the client side by using client-side scripting languages (JavaScript, JScript, Actionscript, media players and PDF reader plug-ins, etc.) to alter DOM elements (DHTML). Dynamic content is often compiled on the server utilizing server-side scripting languages (PHP, ASP, Perl, Coldfusion, JSP, Python, etc.). Both approaches are usually used in complex applications.

As the Internet has grown and advanced so has web design and in the process mark-up language has changed to become more complex but also flexible, which allows you to add aspects such as images and tables to a web page.

Before creating and uploading a website, it is important to take the time to plan exactly what is needed in the website. You should also thoroughly consider the audience or target market, as well as defining the purpose of your site and deciding what content will be developed are extremely important. When you are looking at the purpose of your website you should note down what you hope to achieve with your website and what users of your website will benefit from it. After defining the purpose of your website you should go onto describing the audience of your site this is because you need to know who you are aiming your website at and you need to known what your audience is looking for within your website.

The purpose and audience of your website should be reflected through the content of your website. When you are thinking about what content to place on your website you need to evaluate and organise what content needs to be placed on your site. Anything that doesn't fit the purpose of your site or that doesn't reflect your target audience should be removed from your site.

If you want the best from the design of your site then you should enlist the help of a web design company who will be able bring out the best in your site and as a result you will get more traffic to your site.

Helen is the web master of Discount Domains, specialists in all aspects of Web Design.

Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Cox

Choosing a Good Web Designer

2008-08-13T22:35:00.002-07:00

There are a few things that separate a good web designer from a bad one, but the effects it later has are significant. For instance if you hire a good web designer, you are assured quality work from this designer and you would get your money's worth. Hire a bad web designer then consider it money wasted as the outcome will undoubtedly be poor.

So, what differentiates a good web designer form a bad one? One factor is how professional they look, if your web designer has designed their site poorly with messy navigation and 2nd grade graphics, then you should obviously stay clear from these web designers. But if the site has a nice clean layout and is easy to navigate, I would advise you to inquire more about this designer, because if they've done a good job on their site, chances are their going to do the same on yours.

Another factor would be the designer's portfolio, if the designer even has a portfolio. If the designer doesn't have a portfolio then stay well away as this usually means they are inexperienced and will make quite a few errors. These designers may charge less, but in the long run, it's not worth it. Look for a designer with a nice looking portfolio with design work that you would like. This is very important as every designer has their own style. If the style doesn't suit you, then find another designer.

Last but not least, pay close attention to the designer's approach. What I mean by this is how they contact you and how often as well as the language they use. If their English is poor, chances are they don't speak English, in which case, this will create a barrier to communication, which you need to be able to go over concepts. The designer should also contact you regularly, keeping you informed on the project.

This isn't a fool proof list, but hopefully after reading this article you will be able to make an informed decision as to which designer you want to choose for your project.

This article was written by, Tobi Oduyoye, Co-Founder of Nitrostics. They have a portfolio at their website, which displays their quality work. Their site is: http://www.nitrostics.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=T._Oduyoye

Ten Top Tips For a Visitor-Friendly Web Site

2008-08-13T22:35:00.001-07:00

Make it clear what you do

It may be obvious to you, but your site needs to spell out to visitors what it's about. You'd be surprised how many sites seem to make the assumption that visitors will know the company, understand their products or services and are familiar with all the latest jargon. Make sure your home page states clearly, in a paragraph or less of readable copy, who you are, what you do and what you've got to offer.

Fulfill your visitors' expectations

Another simple way to make your site more visitor friendly is to make sure it reflects what people are expecting to find when they reach the site, whether through a search engine, a banner or pop-up ad or a link from another site. You can do this by first looking at the search engines' search logs to find out what people want and how they ask for it (try Overture's Keyword Suggestion Tool), and then ensuring that your navigation and site messaging and content use those same keywords.

Put things where people expect to find them

Familiarity is a big part of usability. Research has shown that people expect site features to be in a certain place on the page. They look for the search box in the top right hand corner, the products or services down the left hand column, the check out in the bottom right hand corner, the main navigation along the top and the small print (i.e. terms of use, privacy) along the bottom.

Minimize the clickstream

More than 83% of Internet users are likely to leave a website if they feel they have too many clicks to find what they're looking for. So, for example, instead of splitting copy across several pages, with a click to move forward to each page, put it on long, scrollable pages with quick navigation links so that people can jump to the content they want, while staying on the same page.

Have an About Us and Contact Us page

Credibility is fast becoming a key usability issue. If people are going to entrust you with their credit card details or consider you a serious contender for their business, they want to be sure you really exist. We've all come across web sites that don't even have an address, never mind a telephone. That's why it's essential to have an About Us and a Contact Us page - to not only reassure people you're a proper business, but to give them a choice of contact options, including phone, email, directions and a map.

Increase your download speeds

Studies have shown that the average web site visitor will wait less than 9 seconds for a page to download - and the days of universal broadband are still a long way off. So instead of tedious Flash intros or bandwidth-hungry graphics, make your site as lean and nimble as possible. By stripping out the superfluous code, which is often created by web design software such as Dreamweaver, your site can be faster to load, even during peak traffic times, such as immediately after an advertising campaign. What's more, there are estimated to be 743 million people worldwide accessing the net by phone and PDA, so anything you can do to make your site faster and more accessible, will help ensure your availability to this huge new market.

Be search engine friendly

Search engine optimisation, because it focuses on making sites more appropriate to visitors' search queries, more content-rich and better-connected to other relevant sites can make a site more visitor friendly, as a natural by product of the process. In addition, a site map, breadcrumbs and descriptive text links (rather than just 'click here') are search engine friendly features which also enhance the visitor experience.

Know your weaknesses

As well as knowing where your visitors are coming from (ie. which search engine or link from another site), it's also worth knowing where your visitors are leaving from - the quit spots, in other words. If you check your server log files, and see that people are regularly quitting the site at a point where you don't expect, such as between two related pages, you can identify and fix errors in your navigation, download or transaction systems.

Create escape hatches

Conversely, you need to give visitors the opportunity to make a quick getaway. For example, every page should have a clearly marked link back to the home page. Likewise, your transaction process should offer people the chance to empty, as well as fill, their shopping baskets or opt-out from on-site processes, such as downloads, registrations or subscriptions.

Give a warm welcome to disabled visitors

According to the Disability Discrimination Act, web sites must be accessible to all members of the online community - including disabled visitors. Using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) separates presentation from content, which not only makes the site accessible to people using assistive technologies such as voice browsers, but also enables visually impaired visitors, including the elderly (a growing online population) to resize formatting effects, such as colour and font size, to be easier to read. Other easy ways to improve your site's accessibility include ensuring links indicate content (i.e. not just 'click here') and giving informational images ALT descriptions and decorative images null ALT descriptions or alt="".

Fortunately, if your site is search engine friendly, you're already part of the way there. Assistive technologies work in a very similar way to search engine spiders, as they 'spider' the site, read the content and links and present it back to the user in a visitor-friendly format. Therefore, a site that's search engine friendly is already a good way towards being accessible to disabled visitors, as well as people using their phones or PDAs to access the net.

Rif Chia is the Founder & Private SEO Consultant of EzBusinessNeeds.com with more than 5 years experiences
SEO Web Design
Singapore SEO

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rif_Chia

Getting Right From the Start - Tags & Design

2008-08-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

I have met so many business owners whom are concerned over the performance of their website, only after a few years of operation online. It is a must to spread the message and educate the business world on getting right on your website framework. You can never imagine how much potential profits it can bring to the business. Remember what i am going to say will help your business website in search engine ranking which will improve your traffic.

Title Tag

I have said and wrote a number of articles on getting the right title and placing it just after the HEAD tag. The first line a spider read would be the TITLE tag and it carries significant SEO value because it tells the spider roughly what kind of content that webpage carries. Title tag is also displayed in search engine result on top of the description and it tells a searcher what he/she will be expecting from the website. Put your important keyword in your title, a good example would be Confectionery Packaging | Global Distributor for a packaging company.

Meta Description Tag

This is the description of your website shown in the search engine result. Write this description carefully with relevant keywords. Spiders see this as a reference to the content that webpage contains.

Keywords Density

Getting the correct keywords density ( around 3% - 3.25% ) is common. Keywords are important words that you believed a searcher may type and find you via the search engine. Identify the correct ones and you are on your way to the top of the SEPRS.

Nested Tables

I am not saying having nested tables are not good. Spiders simply do not like nested tables and to prevent them from further indexing a webpage, we try to reduce the use of nested tables. Replacing them with CSS would be good. Even my website is currently using a bit of nested tables and i am in the process of changing them with CSS scripting.

TITLE tag in a href

Many do not make use of this tag in their links. Having them is good and it tells the spiders what kind of link they might expect. It carries SEO value by further securing the correct keyword. a href=http://www.ezbusinessneeds.com title=Search Marketing and SEO Web Design

ALT tag in img

Alt tag is commonly used to show text in case the image is unable to load in browsers. Spiders do not view image, they aren't human. So by providing spiders with ALTERNATIVE text will increase your target keyword density. This tag is normally used for blind personnel.

Well this shall end the TAGS for SEO Web Design. The next thing you need to know would be the scripting method that affects search engine indexing. I will write the article another day, see you around.

Rif Chia is the Founder & Private SEO Consultant of EzBusinessNeeds.com with more than 5 years experiences
SEO Web Design
http://www.ezbusinessneeds.com - Singapore SEO

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rif_Chia

Do I Need a Business Website?

2008-08-06T23:53:00.004-07:00

In this day and age, I cannot image any business that does not need a website. People like to have the option to learn more about your company, whether the products you have or how your company got it's start, from the comfort of their own homes. We live in an instant gratification society. If you can't give them what they want now, the will move on to a company that can. This is the same with information.

I guess the question shouldn't be "Do I need a website", it should be "where can I get an affordable website".

Now, if you can make your own site, the only problem you have to worry about is hosting. This is your most affordable option. Hosting is very affordable and painless. From 9.99 a month and up, you can reserve a domain name and hosting. A great domain and hosting company is kittypickles.

If you have some basic HTML, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, etc skills, you can simply purchase a template for your business. They come loaded with graphics, menus, and some even come with flash animations. All you have to do to them is customize it with your information. A good template site is templatemonster.

If you are not familiar with site design software and code, then you'll either need to research design firms or find a free-lance designer to create your site. If you choose to use a firm, be sure to compare. Make sure to take a look at their portfolios, check them out on the better business bureau, email past clients. Also, keep in mind that price doesn't always equal quality. Some new firms offer great rates while they expand their portfolio.

If you'd like to contact a free-lancer, place some ads in Craigslist. You'll find many great designers and coders here, all of which are pretty affordable.

For more business ideas, tips, articles, news and kits, visit http://bizlearners.com

Brynn Yardley

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brynn_Yardley

Why Your Website Should Include an About Us Page

2008-08-06T23:53:00.003-07:00

I want to talk about the importance an about us page can have when it comes to marketing your home business. By the time you finish reading this article on you will know a few tips to make your about us page a pre-sell page for your website and products.

Think about how you surf the Internet when you land on an interesting website. Do you find yourself clicking on the frequently asked questions page as well as the about us page?

Depending on the depth of the website you may very well go to these two pages before you spend much more time looking at the rest of the website. As a matter of fact, the average person spends less than one minute on a website so they are going to choose what they look at carefully.

This is why it is worth having your about us page right up front where they can find it. You're about us page gives you a chance to build some credibility on your background and what are trying to do with your website.

You can also include various things such as pictures, videos, audio, and these sorts of things. It doesn't have to just be business oriented either.

It's a great place to include little bit about your wife, kids, your hobbies, how your business is doing, etc. You really can get a lot of mileage out of an about us page if you try to think of it through the eyes of your visitor.

If you have any doubts about how to do this go check out the about us page on your top competitors websites. Jot down notes and begin to formulate a plan of how you want to develop your own page properly.

The thing you have to remember is that your visitors probably do not know much about you. Even if you've been around as an established Internet marketer over a period of time very people few people know who you are.

As a matter of fact as Internet marketers we tend to live in a very shielded world compared to the average surfer. Once you realize that people really do not know who you are it should help formulate your plan to bring out your about us page in a positive manner.

Hopefully this article has given you some ideas on why your website should include an about us page. You also should have a few tips now on how to properly develop yours and get the most from it.

David Ogden is an established online marketer who specializes in practical website resources and advice that have helped many people like you start their very own home based business. He can help you launch your very own money making website today, ready to take orders and pull in massive profits for you right now, guaranteed!
Work at Home Training for Success
Make Money Online Now!
Copyright: David Ogden

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_J_Ogden

Marketing Tools For Your Home Based Businesses

2008-08-06T23:53:00.001-07:00

Starting a home based online business is not that easy. First, you are just one of the many budding online entrepreneurs hoping to make a mark in the Internet. There's always a risk that you will fail especially if you don't have the right amount of exposure and contacts. You can't also expect to have your business flourish right off the bat since there are just too many competitors, no matter which field or industry you are in.

So how do you make sure your online home-based business? You need to learn a couple of tricks in order to make your venture competitive, if not successful. These are basic Internet tools and methods that help businesses in getting enough exposure and profits, things that every budding online entrepreneur like you should learn.

First, you should have a good, catchy, and easy to remember domain name. Your domain name is the first thing your customer will remember, so make it catchy. Your website likewise has to be easy to navigate, and equipped with commercial tools like a shopping cart as well as a payment system.

You should also learn search engine optimization or SEO. This is using the keywords most of your clients will search for in various search engines. When you have the right keywords in your website, then your website will rank highly in search engines, which mean more traffic and more earnings for you.

You also have to learn the AutoResponder or AR which helps you capture the essential contact information of those who visited your site. With this tool you can get the e-mail addresses of your visitors, and then you can send them newsletters or e-mails regarding your new products and services, and even special promos. Thus you don't need to hope that your visitors will remember your website, since chances are they will visit it because of the email and newsletter you sent them.

You can also opt to put a blog or RSS feeds since it builds trust as well as maintain the good relationship you have with your clients and visitors.

You also need to put in articles to your website. Remember that visitors value information before the products and services being offered. So you have to put concise, easy to read articles on your website. This will provide good information to your visitors and in turn, entice them to buy your various products.

Visit our home based business marketing tools website for more information. If you would like to see a marketing system in place, visit our xocai website to see it in action!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Troy_A_Shanks

The Reasons Why WordPress is Now the Best Website Builder Software

2008-08-06T23:53:00.000-07:00

WordPress is now the best software for designing, building and maintaining a website. Originally developed and designed for bloggers to create personal blogs, WordPress is now the world's most popular blogging platform. Recently it has been further developed and enhanced so that now it is also the best system for creating any type of website you might need. And it is free!

Yes that is right, the WordPress software is open source and as such it is free to download and use on your own website or blog. If you are thinking of building your own website then you do not even have to look for any other type of site builder system as WordPress does it all.

If you are not technically minded then you will be happy to know that in order to use this impressive content management system you will not require any specialist technical skills at all. If you can use Microsoft Word then WordPress will be easy!

You do not need to learn or code html or employ a programmer to build your website for you as with WordPress you will be able to it all yourself. No more wasted time or money as you can get WordPress today for free and start building your new site instantly.

One this amazing content management and site building software is installed on your web host's server you will need to find and choose a Theme to use with your site. The theme you choose will determine the layout and colors of your new website and can be changed with one click of your mouse so it is very easy to try different themes until you find one that you like.

If you want to change the whole look of your site in the future just find and install a different them and you are done. Once again there are many hundreds of free themes available as well as more complicated premium themes, which you may have to pay for. With WordPress it really is quick and easy to create a very impressive website.

To add different functionality to your site you have access to thousand of WordPress Plugins. These are small packets of code that you can seamlessly add to your website or blog that perform individual functions to enhance your website and make it do what you want. Again most of these are free to download and use.

Any website built with WordPress is easy to promote due to the fact that RSS feeds are built into the software and these are a great tool for letting everyone know about every new page or blog post on your site. The search engines, especially Google, just love WordPress and any sites built with this software will rank higher and quicker than any site built with more traditional methods or software.

If you need a great website that is easy to build and manage yourself then there really is no other choice. Do not waste your time looking at alternatives as WordPress already does everything you need. WordPress is the best software for building websites and it is free!

Just visit the Affiliate Blogger website to see how easy it is to build websites with WordPress and checkout our What Is WordPress? review for more details on all the different features of this awesome free software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Joa

How To Improve The Professional Look And Feel Of Your Website

2008-03-11T02:35:00.001-07:00

Projecting a professional image is paramount to your website's success. It can make or break your online business. Use this handy article and links to improve the professional look and feel of your site.

First, take a general overview of your site. What is subject matter of your site? Define it down to a particular topic -- your niche.

For instance, you can have a website on Sports. You may have narrowed it down to a particular sport; say baseball. You may have narrowed it down even further, a particular baseball team.

Whatever the subject matter of your site, keep the content within your site on topic. Obvious, but important. Someone coming to your site to check out the Yankees -- don't want to find material on 'how to hook a rug'!

Make sure that you 'keep your site on topic'. This one thing alone will improve the professional image your site projects.

Next, consider your audience, who is it aimed at? Who are you targeting? For instance, if it's a general news site, it may be the whole world. Everyone is interested in the news.

If it a website on breeding dogs -- your audience is probably other dog breeders or those interested in dog breeding. Someone visiting your site will expect to see content/information on dog breeding.

Keep your site's audience in mind at all times.

Now consider the layout and design of your website. Is it appropriate for your topic and for your audience. Does the color scheme and design suit your subject matter? Does the design and layout suit your audience?

A website catering to young visitors, offering online role-playing games is not going to have the same layout or color scheme as a conservative business site. Appeal to your audience and subject matter; again, keep them in mind at all times.

In your site design, go for simplicity. Don't complicate them with too much flash and dazzle. Provide your visitors with what they're looking for -- and make it quick. Don't have your visitors jump thru hoops to get what they're searching for. Have an 'easy to navigate' linking structure.

Keep the overall design within two or three colors. You can even try an old artist's trick, make it almost monochromic with a complimentary color split to bring focus to your points of interests. Make sure your fonts are consistent and easy to read in all the different browsers. Keep the same logo or brand name on all your pages -- don't confuse your visitors.

Now, lets get down to some specific changes or additions that can 'tune-up' your website. These should improve the professional look and feel of your site.

Give Them Something to Remember You By!

1. Make a 'favicon.ico' file if you don't have one. Look down at your computer's task bar, you should see a version of a favicon of the programs on your computer. These are small '16x16' icons or symbols for your site or product. All major sites have them. Here's how you can make them:

Use a photo or paint shop program like Adobe or Paint Shop Pro. Just take your logo or part of it and reduce it down to a 16 x 16 image. Adjust the resolution and play around with it. You can just use a single letter from your site's name and jazz it up a bit. You need to upload this image to your website's directory in an ico file named 'favicon.ico' -- very logical Mr. Spock!

Extra help here: http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/favicon.shtml

Give Them Eye Candy!

2. Make a logo. Or have someone design it for you. Nothing says professional than a cool looking logo! A really good one will brand your site in the minds of your visitors. Have this logo on all your web pages.

Logo building help here: http://web-bureau.com/modules/logo.php

Put Them on the Map!

3. Make a Sitemap for your site. Extremely important, make sure you have a sitemap for your website. Place all the links (if possible) to your site on here. It will unify your site and be of tremendous benefit to your visitors. It's a common courtesy you cannot, must not ignore. Ideally, you should have a link to your sitemap on all your web pages.

Redirect Them!

4. Redirect Page. Create a redirect or error page if your web host doesn't provide one. This is a catch-all page for the '404 Not Found File' that pops up. It will make your site more professional; plus, you won't lose all those hard fought for visitors. Make sure your Redirect Page has a link to your Sitemap.

Try this link for help: http://www.clockwatchers.com/htaccess_redirect.html

Blog Them!

5. Start a Blog and RSS Feed for your site. If you haven't placed a blog on your site -- do it now! This is one addition to your site you should have. Start a blog on the subject of your site or something complimentary to it. It will allow for visitor interaction and will give your site a boost in the ratings. (Use the link at the end of this article if you need help with setting up a blog.)

It will also give you a RSS Feed which will allow you to syndicate your site's information or content. Place an orange RSS or XML button on your site. Since RSS is somewhat new - you might want to place a little note explaining xml or the rss feed. Always place your visitor's comfort in the forefront.

Send Them to the Doctor

6. Doctor HTML. Check the html code and spelling of your site. Sites like this one are great. They will give you a tune-up for free! I have used this one and it's excellent. What you're really checking for is browser compatibility and broken links. It will also squish your html to save on your load time. It will check the coding and any spelling mistakes on your site.

Correct any blatant 'faux pas' in your site's coding.

You can find the html doctor here: http://www.doctor-html.com/

You can also go to NetMechanic to reduce the graphics on your site. As the net goes broadband, this is becoming less and less a problem but it's always better to have a fast loading site.

GifBot by NetMechanic http://www.netmechanic.com/accelerate.htm

Keep Them Browsing

7. Next check your site in all the browsers. You might be surprised how your site looks in a different browser. Firefox is increasing it's users, check your logs, see which browsers your visitors are using. Make sure your site looks and operates perfectly in these systems.

If you have a lot of friends with computers, check your site on their operating systems and see how it looks. Make any necessary changes. You can also try AnyBrowser.com Screen Size Tester below.

http://anybrowser.com/ScreenSizeTest.html

Give Them Spider Food!

8. Spend a day or so, checking all your keywords. List down your site's major keywords. The ones you're targeting. Optimize for the search engines. Most of the traffic on the web come from search engines, so make sure your site is optimized for them. Make sure you have submitted your site to all of these engines.

Double check your 'title' and 'description' meta tags for any obvious mistakes. These get indexed and are often the first line of contact with any potential visitors to your site. Professionism here could have a significant influence on the amount of traffic your site receives!

Find some great Search Engine Optimization Tools here:

http://www.webconfs.com

Give Them A Gentle Reminder!

9. Make sure you have a Bookmark link. Simple, but many websites don't actively encourage visitors to bookmark their site. Have a bookmark logo or link on all the pages of your site. Remind your visitors to bookmark. It's a great source of free traffic.

You can get a free script from Michael Bloch: http://www.tamingthebeast.net

Give Them Some Jazz!

10. Jazz up your site! Try to find things that will make your site more interesting. Give your visitors a reason to visit your site other than the great content. Offer a free service, like the one the doctor uses above! Run a contest! Give away free stuff or extra bonuses if they visit your site. In whatever way you can, make your visitor feel special.

Maybe try a headliner from Feedburner.com for your rss feed. This will display all your headlines. Add audio and video "testimonials". Add other graphics like the ones mentioned here: favicon, bookmark, sitemap, etc.

But don't overdo it with the graphics, but add a few to make your site visually interesting. Even a visually bare-bones site like Google does this with their logo on special occasions. It adds a touch of style.

It is estimated that over fifty percent of net users now have broadband so the use of a lot of graphics is not as detrimental as it once was. But again, don't over do it, a little spice goes a long way.

But don't put style over substance. It all boils down to content. Give your visitors good valuable content or information and your site will improve faster than with all the points mentioned above. Don't forget that basic ingredient while you're fine tuning your site.

And don't forget your site's visitors. Make their visit to your site as pleasant and comfortable as you possibly can.

Always keep your visitor in mind.

Each one is a special guest. Each one deserves the best site you can produce. Each one is ...

A VIP with a cursor! Give them the Royal Treatment!

Your site will reap the benefits and look good while doing it!

Why Your Website Needs a Great Navigation System

2008-03-11T02:33:00.000-07:00

Traditionally the navigation menu is placed just below the header area or on the left hand side of the web page. Usability studies have shown that web site visitors instinctively look in these areas first.

Wherever you decide to place your navigation menu, remember that consistency is important. The most important thing is to place your navigation menu in the same spot on every one of your web pages. If you use an image to represent a navigational button, use the same image and the same color for that image on each page of your website. For example, if you use an image of a green house in the left hand corner of your web page as your "Home" navigational link, use the same green house image in the left hand corner of every one of your web pages to designate the "Home" link.

Your visitor should be able to find what they are looking for within 3 clicks of your home page. This is usually not a problem for small sites. However, if you have a large site with many pages, you will need to design a navigation menu that provides access to all areas of your website without getting your visitor lost or confused.

You may want to use a bread crumb trail type of navigation system for large sites (Homepage > Category > Subcategory > Content). Another option is to use a dynamic menu that changes according to the page your visitor is, but be aware that search engines may not be able to spider sites using dynamic menus.

Usability studies have shown that a navigation menu should contain no more than 8 links. The more choices a user is given, the more difficult it will be for them to make a decision. Also, if you have many links, your visitor may get the impression that your site is complicated and difficult to navigate.

If you have only a few links, use mouse rollovers to visually enhance your website. You will need to add some Javascript that pre-loads the rollover images and then add "onMouseover" events to your image links. Alternatively, use CSS for text rollovers that change the link color when the mouse cursor hovers over a link.

Navigation links should be considered the most important part of your website for two reasons:

1) They are used by your visitor to find content on your site.

2) They are used by search engines to spider your site.

The reason users visit your site is to get information. If visitors can't find the information they are searching for, they will click away, perhaps never to return again.

While different search engines have different rules on how they spider and rank a site, basically a "bot" or "spider" will visit a site, search for a "HREF" link and follow the links to other pages, indexing the pages as it goes along. If the "bot" or "spider" doesn't find a "HREF" tag on a page, it is blocked from going any deeper into the site. As you can see, you need to design your navigational system so that a search engine can spider all pages of your website.

Why Your Website Needs a Great Navigation System

2008-03-11T02:28:00.000-07:00

Navigation links should be considered the most important part of your website for two reasons:

1) They are used by your visitor to find content on your site.

2) They are used by search engines to spider your site.

The reason users visit your site is to get information. If visitors can't find the information they are searching for, they will click away, perhaps never to return again.

When designing your website, take the extra time to design a good navigational system. It is vital to your success!

Getting Started Selling Products Online Beginners Guide

2008-03-10T02:31:00.000-07:00

Like most small businesses your products or store has little or no national brand recognition. So how can you sell products online amongst the millions of other websites? Let this article serve as a guide to start selling your products online. There are an endless supply of tips and tricks to selling products online but the following are ones that I've had personal success with.

Professional Web Design

The overall look and feel of your website will have a great affect on people and the confidence to purchase from you. Most people are willing to make online purchases but with Internet fraud on the rise, you need a professional web site to build confidence in your customers. When new customers visit your site they typically won't research your business before making a purchase, they decide based on how your site looks. See our article on Small Business Professional Web Site Design and Layout Guide for more tips.

Usability

Usability is very closely tied to the design and layout of your website. Website usability is the practice of making your website as easy for customers to use as possible. If you want potential customers to purchase your products, you must make it easy for them to locate your products and find out any information they need to make the purchase. If potential customers can't locate products, descriptions, and prices quickly, they will go somewhere else. Many experts agree the the best websites allow viewers to navigate directly to products in three clicks.

Once customer is ready to purchase, the checkout process needs to be streamlined. Make the user fill out only what is required to make the sale with little extra. Don't display page after page of additional products, popups, questions, etc... This will only lead to more people exiting the checkout process prematurely. Once they have made the decision to checkout, don't give them any reason to change they're mind.

You must accept credit card payments for online sales. Giving customers multiple checkout choices increase your chances of making a sale but most customers will still want to purchase using they're credit card. Services like Pay Pal allow users without an account to purchase from your website securely without having an account.

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

SEM is typically the process of marketing your website by paying search engines to display your ad when users search for particular terms. These ads are not part of the organic search results; rather they are displayed on the first page, many times above or to the right of the organic search results. This marketing has worked very well for many companies but it does cost money. Most services charge based on the number of times your ad is displayed (impressions) or the number of times your ad is clicked PPC (Pay Per Click). Most large search engines offer this service.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

This is one of my favorite ways to market my websites. Search engines cannot tell you specifically what to do to increase your placement in organic search engine results. If they did, obviously everyone would change they're websites to rank high in the search results. This would result in sites ranking high that are not relevant to your search. SEO is a science to many people, they study sites that rank high, formulate theories as to why they rank high, test these theories on they're sites, and study the results. The three important things for small businesses to do from an SEO standpoint are:

1. Key phrases: Research popular key phrases. Find out what key phrases people use when searching for your product. You should define at least 6 key phrases for your products. Many times these key phrases include brand names. For instance, if you sold shoes online, some of your key phrases might be: Buy Shoes Online, Running Shoes, Brand X Shoes, etc...

2. Content: Populate your site with key phrase dense content. Make sure your site has the phrases you're defined in step one repeated on your website. You can't just list your key phrases; you must incorporate them into your website elegantly. This can be done by rewriting your product descriptions and writing key phrase dense content. In addition to making sure your key phrases exist in your content, make sure your content is unique. If your content can be found elsewhere on the web, you may be downgraded by the search engines and other sites with the same content may get preference in the results. Making your key phrases relevant and your content unique will increase your position in the results.

3. Links: Getting one way links to your site not only tell the search engines that you exist but can increase they're trust in your website. The higher ranked site that is linking to you the more trust you will inherit from that site. Getting links from sites, directories, blogs, and social networking sites that have similar content will help build trust with the search engines resulting in a higher position in the search results. Additionally writing and submitting articles and news releases with a link back to your site will build trust with the search engines that your site is an authority on the subject at hand, thus increasing your ranking with them.

There are many other tips, tricks, and rules to SEO and the more you study and tweak your site the better your search engine results will be. Make sure what you do does not have a negative affect on your ranking. Stay away from automated software or services that submit your site, link farms, spamming, sites that are not easily navigated by search engines, sites that use frames, all flash sites, any black hat tricks, etc... Make sure you research anything before trying it.

Products

Many people have found many ways to sell there products online. The following are two techniques that I have found successful

1. Selling large ticket items at cost. This technique is exactly how it sounds. If you can be the low price leader for your product this can generate sales and people linking to you. Obvously you won't make money selling products at cost, rather when the sale is made you make extra money on accessories or at lease gain a customer. Customers are loyal to websites they have already purchased from, especially if they received good service.

2. Selling unique or customizing your product. This can set you apart from others. You will obviously have the foothold on a unique product and limit your competition if you customize your products. Your task is to build the perception that your unique or customized product is worth the extra cost (if any). Building value in your product will reduce your competition thereby increasing your chance of making a sale.

If you do not produce your own products, try to find as many products to offer as possible, the more the better. This only increases your chance of offering the product a customer may need. Additionally, from an SEO perspective, rewrite all your descriptions replacing abbreviations and using keywords where possible. This will create uniqueness for your products increasing your ranking in the search engine results.

This is truly a beginner's guide to selling products online but following these guidelines will result in a solid foundation to build on.

The Online Video Spokesperson Presents A Personal Touch

2008-03-10T02:28:00.000-07:00

Just when you think you can't get any more interactive with Flash, DHTML and other dynamic tools available on the web today something else comes along to add new meaning to the word "interactivity". The latest buzz in web technology is Online Video Spokesperson. Online Video Spokesperson Technology gives the viewer the illusion that someone in front of the screen is talking directly to them. It somehow emulates the experience we have when watching a weather forecast. A weather man/woman is standing in front of a screen with a graphic representation of the weather on it and he/she explains what is happening. Online Video Spokesperson gives the web that personal touch that is as yet unrivaled.

Online Video Spokesperson is a method for providing live motion video that plays over the top of any existing website in fluid presentation without being restricted to a media player window. This amazing new technology allows internet marketers and web entrepreneurs to update, announce or present their products and services in a captivating, engaging manner that affects the buying decision of the consumer through personal interaction.

This new technology allows a real person to walk out over the top of an existing Flash or HTML based web page and deliver a promotional message, special offer or company information and direct them to your particular "call to action". There is no need to redesign the existing site in order to accommodate this feature. This tool virtually eliminates the need for headlines and catch phrases. What could be more effective than someone actually telling you what is important?

With millions of sites all over the world trying to catch attention, it is very difficult to keep visitors in one site for more than 3 minutes. Keeping the visitor for longer than that is an achievement in itself. Getting the same person to visit different areas of your site is the real challenge. If you are an online merchant such as Amazon.com, how can you sell if you're visitors don't stay long enough to look through your products?

Did you know that the television industry's key income generator is paid advertisements? And how do they make sure these advertisements are seen? They show blockbuster movies, game shows, soap operas, news, etc. Online Video Spokespersons function much the same way as these methods used by television networks to entice viewers.

Seeing a person moving around the screen provides the illusion of that person being in the same room with you and in front of you. An Online Video Spokesperson automatically raises interest in the site and has the effect of the viewer or browser to want to see more. It's very effective as an eye-catcher.

Online Video Spokesperson is a marketing tool that gives visitors of a website that much needed person touch that is found lacking in most websites today. Consumers on the web need to feel that the online company they are thinking of giving their business to is sincere and is able to give them the best service they can provide. An Online Video Spokesperson gives that much needed assurance.

User-Friendly Web Design

2008-02-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

It is very important when you are designing a website that you reign in your own creative impulses and work from the point of view of what the person looking at the site needs, rather than what you think looks good and attractive. A simple starting point is to ask yourself if the average person would have any problems in their navigation through the site.

A common complaint in web usability is the difficulty in navigating from page to page. This is where good web design comes into play. The most common position for navigation links on most websites is either at the left hand side, at the top, or at the bottom.

There is no reason to have links dotted all over the place, out of sight, and indistinguishable from the rest of the site. This is to ensure that the site rates highly for usability in the public’s eye. If you can make their journey easier, then they will be more inclined to return to your site again and again. Good web design should also be very professional looking. A nice color scheme, simple layout, and readable text is the very minimum that is required to make your website as accessible as it can be to the general public.

You should also pay attention to site construction when designing a website. That means that all links work, that all images upload, and that the time it takes for a page to present itself on the reader’s web browser is kept to a minimum. Nobody wants to wait two minutes to read a page.

On top of that, when the page does load, the layout has to also be visually appealing and simple, as opposed to flashy and artistic. When most people visit a website, they usually know what they want to look for, and don’t appreciate barriers being put in place for them to get to the information they need.

An Easy-to-Read Website For Your International Visitor's First Impression

2008-02-26T03:51:00.000-08:00

Creating a localized website will be a lot easier if your website is already easy for your international visitors to read. Ensuring your website is easy to read for foreign visitors to your website is an important step in internationalizing your website.

So how can you do make your website easy to read for your international visitors?

Most of the reasons why national websites fail to communicate with their international visitors are directly related to not implementing all of the standard best practices in creating a good website.

You have probably heard of most of these guidelines when creating your company website for your original market. But did you really apply them as best you could? Simply failing to implement a few of these will turn your international clients away and leave them with a bad impression of your company.

Remember for non-native English speakers something else happens before they begin to read your website. Their brain will recognize whether the website is in English or not and decide if they are capable or willing to read English at that time. This can take a few seconds before they actually begin to read your website.

Your foreign readers may be tired, may not feel like switching to a foreign language at that time. If their brain captures anything at that time that they perceive as an extra effort on their part, they will move on. This is when it is critical to have an easy to read website for your foreign business development.

Here are some questions to review your website with for that first impression:

Is Each Web Page Easy On The Eye To Read?

The majority of internet users today are non-native English speakers. English could be their second, third or even fourth language. Even if their language skills are sufficient to understand your website, they will probably need to concentrate more than you to read it. Make it easy for them. Provide them with:

* Titles and subtitles
* Headings and subheadings
* Short paragraphs
* Short sentences

Titles, Subtitles, Headings and Subheads

These add greatly to the readers' ability to understand your web pages quickly and easily. Remember to ask yourself how your international reader got to your web page.

What could your international visitor possibly want to ask you at each specific point in time on each web page? Use your titles, subtitles, headings and subheads as often as you can to communicate effectively to answer those questions.

Write titles and headings that:

* Mean something to your reader
* Give clear and easy explanations
* Tell your story as they scan through and get it
* Features and benefits work well

Short Sentences and Short Paragraphs

Short paragraphs will make your pages easier to read. Foreign readers are put off even faster by long paragraphs appearing to be difficult to read.

If your paragraph is more than 4 or five lines long, look for ways to make it shorter. Can a part of your paragraph be put into a list format? Cut out unnecessary words. Break it into different paragraphs. A one sentence paragraph is acceptable online.

Keep your sentences short. In each of your sentences, keep the subject, verb and object close together in each sentence. If you need to indicate additional information, find this information a place of its own.

* Use a new sentence.
* Put it under a separate heading.
* Can it be put in a list format?

Are You Saying Anything That Could Be Misleading?

International readers may easily be confused online. After this their first questions will probably include:

* Is this website in my language?
* What does this company do?
* Where is this company located?
* What are they saying?

Keep these questions in mind when you write your website. Continue to ask yourself what any of your visitors could be asking themselves and keep your international visitors in mind.

Consistent vocabulary.

Here are two examples to avoid:

Referring to one object as both a "Gadget" and a "Widget". Or using one industry's vocabulary in another industry where another word is used. This mistake can have disastrous effects if translated.

If you are offering one free report and calling it both a "Guide" and a "Report" in different places in your website, your international readers might have a harder time figuring out that you only have one free report to give away. This could make them feel frustrated and generate negative feelings when they can't find the second "report".

Are You Communicating Clearly To People?

Are you presenting your story clearly, putting everything into a context that is simple to follow? Make your story so simple to follow anyone would be able to understand it even if they haven't slept for a day or two.

Put first things first and follow through. Second things go second. If you feel you cannot do this easily, look for a way to tell your story differently. Can you use visuals or lists. Turn a process into:

* A number of different steps,
* List them and number them and
* Put each step on a separate web page

Are You Talking To Your Visitors?

Talk To Your Visitors

Say "you" when talking to your reader. And it is also preferable to use "you" when not talking about a specific person instead of "he or "she". Foreign visitors will understand this better.

Audio

If you have sound starting on your website automatically, ask yourself how this sound comes across in different cultures. Could it possible be annoying to anyone in any way? Some like it fast. Some like it slow.

Clear and Easy To Understand For Everyone

These are just a few elements to consider in creating websites. Implement them and implement them satisfactorily. Your foreign visitors may not necessarily find your website easy to read in English, but at least they will not be put off or confused.

If you do not internationalize your website, the negative effects on your international readers will be greater than on your national readers. Can you measure the cost of not communicating well with your international prospects and clients?

There has been a shift in internet user demographics with more non-native English language users today than in the past. Give your website a global reach with internationalized content.

How To Design a Website

2008-02-25T02:50:00.001-08:00

Every day, more and more people are learning how to design their own websites. In this article, I'll show you how to design a website the right way to ensure that you get something as close to your vision as possible.

Before you decide how to design a website, you have to know what options are available. This means you need to be familiar with the different ways people build websites. The only way to do that is to do some background research. Do you know the difference between HTML, CSS and PHP? It's important to understand how these different codes relate to building a website. By being aware of the different options that exist, you will have a better idea on what you will need to learn.

After you have an idea of the various different ways websites are built, it's time to decide what the purpose of your website is. Do you want to do business or does your website of a more personal nature? Is it something you plan on updating regularly, or will it have more static elements? You need to sit down and really ask yourself what the ultimate purpose of your website is and what you want it to do for you. Once you do this, you will be able to understand the scope of what you need to know, as far as how to design a website goes to get your finished product.

Finally, after you know what you want, then it is just a matter of going about achieving it. If you want something simple, like a blog, then you might start looking for website templates you can download for free, and simply modify. Or, if you need a site with only a few pages, you shouldn't have to study more than the basic HTML to achieve that. By having your vision, and coupling it with the different tools that are available to you, is probably the smartest way to go about designing a website.

There are also various tools that can help you on how to design a website. Typically these are web design software programs, most commonly known as WYSIWYG editors. WYSIWYG stands for -- "what you see is what you get". These are great tools that help you with your coding, so you can edit your website visually, as well as through coding language.

Website Usability - Is Your Website Usable?

2008-02-25T02:43:00.000-08:00

Usability plays a very important role on the web. A website with poor usability will more often than not encounter a high bounce rate. A bounce rate is a common term for the amount of people who reach a site, but leave shortly after their arrival. A high bounce rate is just one of the many problems associated with poor usability. Remember that a website doesn't include an instruction manual, thus the user interface must be intuitive and highly usable in order to be successful.

What is Usability?

There are various definitions for usability from a plethora of experts, but most definitions generally state that a usable website will feature the following characteristics:

• Efficient and effective operation
• Quick and easy to learn
• Free of errors
• Memorable Interface

Benefits of a Highly Usable Website

There are numerous benefits of a highly usable website for both the prospective patron (user) and you as the website provider. With an increase in usability, users will achieve their goals more quickly and efficiently, which improves the likelihood of them utilizing your service or product. A highly usable website will also develop user confidence in a particular product, website, and/or company.

The most obvious benefit for the user is simply an overall increase in satisfaction. With an increase in user satisfaction, patrons will become more brand loyal and possibly recommend your website to their friends and colleagues. There are also advantages for the website operator/provider when it comes to increased usability. A highly usable site will reduce that amount of technical support needed, because of an overall reduction in user errors.

Common Usability Issues: What to Improve On

There are several places were users typically encounter usability issues on the web. Some key areas to look out for in regards to usability issues are page headings, primary navigation, and page structure.

Page Headings

All pages on your website should include a brief yet descriptive heading. Adequate page headings orientate users and inform them on what they can expect to find on each page.

Primary Navigation

Proper implementation of a primary navigation scheme is also important, because this is the principal means of navigation for your users. A poorly designed or over complicated navigation scheme may deter even the most savvy computer users.

Page Structure

Effective page structure may be one of the most important elements of usability in regards to web design. Remember, it's important to avoid cluttered or disorderly page content. Your content should always be presented in a clear, concise, and hierarchical manner. It's also of the up most importance to maintain proper page consistency through-out the entire website.

Landon Wisser is a content developer and web specialist at NLI Media Group.

NLI Media Group is an Austin based web development and media firm that uses cutting edge online marketing and traditional advertising and promotion to create premium brand experiences for clients.